Signature-handling device.



M. CHRISTENSEN. SIGNATURE HANDLING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.29| 1.917-

Patented Mar. 18,1919.

6 SHEETSSHEET lNVENTflF? M 1412 Wm ATTUHNEYE' M. CHRESTENSEN.

SIGNATURE HANDLING DEVICE.-

APPLICATIQN FILED AUG-29,1917.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2- //\/\/E/\/ TUE W Patented Mar. 18, 1919.

ATTUFBNZYE M. CHRISTENSEN. SIGNATURE HANDLINGDEVICE.

APPLiCATION FILED AUG.29' i911- Patented' Mar. 18, 1919.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 3- msiaw,

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ATTORNEYS M. CHRESTENSEN.

SIGNATURE HANDLING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED AuG.29, 1911.

Patented Mar. 18, 1919.

6 $HEETSSHEET 4- T TUFFNK Y5 lVl. CHRISTENSEN.

SIGNATURE HANDLING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.29, I917.

Patented Mar. 18, 1919.

6 SHEETSSHEET 5.

IN VEN TU F? LQQPRQQQD ATTORNEYS M. CHRISTENSEN: SIGNATURE HANDLING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.29, 911.

Patented Mar. 18,1919.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 6- ATTORNEYS r at.

MARTIN CHRISTENSEN, 0F RACINE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR T0 CHRISTENSEN MACHINE COMPANY, OF RACTNE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN.

SIGNATURE-HANDLING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented arm. is, rare;

Application filed August 29, 1917. Serial No. 188,71fi.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that LMARTIN CHRISTENSEN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Racine, in the county of Racine and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Signature-Handling Devices, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the ac companying drawings, which are a part of this specification.

The invention relates to signature-handling devices and more particularly to a device for feeding collected groups of signatures to the stitching mechanism of a bookstitching orb'inding machine.

The invention is designed to provide a book feeding device employing several operators and consisting of parts so arran ed and combined as to increase the working capacity of the individual operator with the result that the capacity of the book-stitch ing machine ,is greatly increased because of i the rapidity of feed of the collected groups of signatures to the mechanism for feedin the books to the stitchers.

While the book feeding device hereinafter shown and described is shown as combined with the book-stitching machine ex- I emplified by Letters Patent No. 1.165,?49

granted to me on Dec. 28, 1915, it may be combined or used in connection with any other form of book-stitching machine as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

The invention further consists in the several features hereinafter set forth and more particularly defined by claims at the conclusion hereof. I

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a plan view of the device embodying the invention Fig. 2 is a side view of one side of the machine in connection with which the device is used, a portion of the feeding device being also shown;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 of the other side of-the machine;

Fig. 4 is asection taken on the line l4 of Fig. 2;

.Fi 5 is a section taken on the line 55 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a side view of the feeding table;

Fig. 7 is a section taken on the line 77 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a section taken on the line 88 of Fig. 6; a

Fig. 9 is a section taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 4:;

Fig. 10 is a section taken on the line 10-10 of Fig. i:

In. general the device comprises a receiving table, means for intermittently turning the table, and means for successively delivering collected groups of signatures from the table to the book-stitching machine.

I The receiving table consists of a circular base A carried by a central post a revolubly mounted in a frame B having uprights b to which receiving aprons C are secured to lie flush with the base A and at a quadrants distance from each other, a plurality of radially disposed partitions D having tapered ends d, and forming radially disposed pockets F, and a circular plate G against which the forward edges of a group of signatures A abut when introduced by the operator into one of the pockets F.

The means for intermittently turning the table comprises a ratchet wheel f secured thereto, and engaged by a spring pressed pawl g pivotally mounted upon an arm H journaled on the standard a and oscillated through a reciprocating rod h. The succes sive movements of the pawl will turn the table step by step and to overcome the momentum due to its turning a drag brake, consisting of a brake wheel I on post a and a brake band a secured to frame B is applied to the support a.

The means for successively delivering collected groups of signatures to the bookstitching machine comprises means for taking the signatures out of the pockets, and means for releasably. holding or gaging the signatures while they are being taken out of of the aliner but of course it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that if the signatures are previously alinedor are in alined condition in the pockets they may be fed directly to the stitchers.

The mechanism for feeding the books to the stitchers is identical with that shown and described in my Letters Patent No. 1,165,749, previously referred to and will be only briefly described here. It includes a plurality of brackets 113 (only one being shown) secured to theframe 10 of the machine, the rack llwbeing secured to a plurality of brackets 12 secured to the machine frame adjacent the supporting table 14, Fig.

- its recessed portion, Figs. 2, 4, 5.

5. The lower end 120 of the U-shaped bracket adjacent the rack 11 carries an adj ustable stud 121 to which is secured a longitudinally extending feed bar 123 having substantially the function of a plurality of fingers disposed in line with and parallel to the rack members 11. The arm 118 of the bracket carries a recessed longitudinally extending bar 126. This bar 126 carries a plurality of slides;127 adjustably securedT in he slides 127 each have pick-up fingers 128 slidably mounted thereon having ends 129 for engaging with one of the sides ofa book and carrying rollers 130 pivotally mounted on pins 131 at their other ends. These fingers are spring pressed downwardly as will appear from my prior patent referred to. The grooved rollers 130' are rotatably mounted for transitory movement upon a longitudinally extending rod 135 secured to a plurality of levers 136 whichare mounted on a longitudinally extending rock shaft 137 pivotally mountedin the ,arms 108 of the brackets 107. The slides 127 carrying the fingers are adjustable on the bar 126, so as to accommodate books of difierent sizes. The slides 114 may be reciprocated by any suitable form of mechanism, one form being shown in my previously mentioned patent. As the brackets 113 which carry the bar 126 are secured to the slide 114, any movement of the slide in its guide, will likewise move the bar 126 and consequently the slides 127 car- I rying the fingers 128 back and forth, the rollers 130 on the upper ends of the fingers moving upon the rod 135. The shaft 137 is rocked, by any suitable form of mechanism, such as that shown in my aforementioned patent, at predetermined intervals, thus causing the arms 136 secured thereto to move the rod 135 upwardly and downwardly, and consequently move the fingers 128 upwardly and downwardly in the slides 127, the rod 135 being operatively connected to the fingers 128 by the rollers 130, to cause said fingers to release or engage the sides of the book disposed adjacent thereto.

With this construction, pairs of fingers 128 successively'engage the book on one side and press it against the bar 123 on the other side under the action of the springs secured to them and the book thus held is carried forward between the racks 11 and 11 and guides 20 and 21 a predetermined distance and then by similar fingers (not shown here but found in my Patent No. 1,165,749) the books are successively fed past the stitchers by this intermittent feed mechanism.

A detailed description and disclosure of the alining device is shown in my beforementioned patent and will be only briefly described here. vThis device consists of a conveyer 13 for carrying the collected sheets along the table 14 between the racks 11 and 11 and means mounted in the table and over and upon which the collected groups of The conveyer 13 consists of a pair of endsignatures pass.

less chains '18, each of which is mounted respectively on sprockets 19 and 20 secured to the lower part of the frame 10 and sprockets 21 and 22 suitably secured to the upper portion of the frame 10. The sprockets 19 are secured to shafts 23 journaled in brackets 24 secured to the frame 10. The sprock ets21 are mounted on a shaft 28 mounted in bearings 29 on the frame. The sprockets 22 are mounted on a shaft 22' journaled in brackets 30 secured to the upper portion of the frame 10 Fig. 3.v The sprockets 20 are mounted on a shaft 31 which is jcurnaled in the sides of the frame. 10, Figs. 3 .and 5..

The endless chains 18, mounted on the sprockets as previously pointed out, aredisposed parallel to each other, so as to pro vide a space therebetween and are connected together at different points along their length by blocks or strips 34 secured to the outer side of each of'the chains, and the chains are so disposed above the table 14 that the strips 34 are spaced therefrom as they move with the chain over the table.

The means mounted in the table and over and upon which the collected groups of signatures pass comprises a plurality of rocking plates 36 each secured to a shaft 38 journaled in bearings on flange plates 40 secured to the table 14, Figs. 1, 2, and 3. Each of the shafts 38 is rigidly secured'to one end of a rocker 'arm 41, Fig. 3. The other end ofthe rocker arm 41 has a pin 42 secured therein, and all of the rocker arms 41 are connected together. for conjoint operation bya link member 43 having bear.- a

ings for receiving the pins 42 of the re-.

spectively rocker arms 41', and a roller 45 at 46 is mounted on a shaft 47 which-is journaled in a bracket 48 and in the table Fig.- 5.

The shaft 47 carries a sprocket 50- therein,

which is connected by a chain 51 with a sprocket 52 on the shaft 31, the shaft 31 thus serving to drive both the conveyer mechanism and the mechanism for rocking the plates .36, Fig. 3. The shaft 31 is driven through a sprocket 31 and chain 32 which is driven through suitable mechanism found in my before-mentioned patent. I

Operation of the sheet-alining device is asfollows: The collected groups of signatures are brought onto-the'supporting table 14 through the feeding mechanism hereinafter described into the path of the strips 34 of the endless conveyer 13, one of said strips engaging the rear edges of the sheets as shown in Fig. 3. Under these conditions the sheets are carried along the supporting table on edge between the racks 11 and 11, and over the plates 36 in the table. During the progress of the sheets over these plates, the roller 45 coacting with the cam 46 moves the link 43 to rock the arms 41 on each of the shafts 38 carrying the plates 36, causing them to rock upwardly in a direction opposite to the movement of the conveyer 13. In practice, the plates are actuated so quickly that a vibratory effect is produced on the sheets. Thus a force will be exerted on the lower edges of sheets opposite to the force-exerted on. the side of the sheets adjacent the strip 34. Under these conditions, the sheets aremoved up and down in the table andback against the strip 34 to alin e' them preparatory to their bein bound or sewed. While I have shown anc described one-suitable form of alinin device it will be understood that so far as t e present inven- 'tion' is concerned any suitable alining device may be used or as previously stated the signatures may be delivered to the receiving table in al'ined condition and fed directly to the stitcher. Broadly speaking the conveyor 13 constitutes part of the mechanism for feeding the collected groups ofsignatures to the'stitchers. a Tn'the present instance the means for taking the signatures out of the pockets constitutes means for successively delivering collected groups of signatures to the table 14 and into the path'of theconveyer 13. This means'comprises a short feed bar 123' similar to the bar 123, a releasable gripping finger 128 similar to the finger 128 and means for conjointly operating said her and finger to. accomplish the feeding operation. The finger 128 is slidably mounted in a slide 127 similar to the slide 127, which slide is mounted on an auxiliary slide bar 126, similar to the bar 126, said finger being normally spring pressed downwardly by a spring 133 in the same manner as thefingers 128, Fig. 1. The bar 126 is mounted in. a recessed guide member 114' secured to the supporting bracket 107 and to a bracket 107' at the front of the machine, Figs. 2 and 4. The.

bar 126 carries a Usha'ped bracket 1196 to at the forward end of the slide 126.

secured. In the present. machine the auxiliary slide bar 126 is used because-the move.

ment has to bequ'icker than that of the bar 126 and to accomplish this movement, the slide 126' carries a stud K mounted in a slot K in the plate 114 and to which a link Z is pivotally secured at one 'end and pivotally secured at its other end to the upper end of a lever L pivotally mounted at its lower end on the frame of the machine. A link M is pivotally secured at one end to the lever L intermediate its dads and is pivotally secured at its other end to a bracket m carried Consequently as the slide 126 is .reciprocated back and forth as previously described it will through the link M, lever L, link Z and stud K reciprocate the slide 126 but at a greater speed because of the increased throw due to the lever L. Thus the finger 128" and the bar 123' being secured to the slide 126 will be moved back to a position beyondthe machine and adjacent the receiving table to pick up a group of signatures and carry them forwardupon the table 14 into the path of the conveyer 13 at which time the,

finger 128 is released and the signatures are then carried alon by said conveyer. The

-means for operatlng the finger 128' is the same as that previously described in connection with the fingers 128 as the rod 135' isv extended forward and is engaged by a roller and the book thus held is carried forward and the finger released by the movement of the rock shaft 137 operatively connected to the shaft 135 as previously described. I

With the signatures in groups and being quickly moved by the turning of the table there is a liability-oi? their flaring laterally so that the feeding mechanism cannot properly grip them and'removethem from the table so 1 have provided means for releasably' holding or gaging the groups of signatures as they are successively. removed from the pockets. This means comprises a fixed bar 0 and a movable gage finger 3 Figs. 2, 3 and 4; The finger P is mounted on a rod 'p'slidably and pivotally mounted in a bracket psecuredto the machine frame 10 said rod being normally spring pressed up wardly by a coiled spring Q secured at one lie end to an arm 4 on the bracket we and at the other to a collar 9' on the rod which construction permits the finger P to move up wardly adjacent a group of signatures in line with'the feeding mechanism of the ma chine at the proper time. The finger P is held out of the way of the signatures moving into lace for delivery by mechanism which moves the rod downwardly against the action ofthe spring Q consisting of a member R having a forked end 1- engaging the rod P and abutting against the collar q and carrying an arm 1" slidably mounted in a vertical slot 7 in the bracket 32, said member B being moved downwardly when struck by the arm 8 of a bell crank lever S which is operated by a linkage connection with the shaft '31, Figs. 3 and 4. This linkage connection consists of a link t pivotally connected at its ends to the lever S and crank T respectively, said crank T being mountedi'n a shaft t journaled imthe frame of the machine and carrying a crank u pivotally connected to one end of a link u which is pivotally connected at its other end to an eccentric U mounted on the shaft 81. The rod h for operating the table turning mechanism is also pivotally connected to the crank T and the parts are so timed as to move the finger P downwardly out of the path of the incoming group of signatures on the turning of the table; finger P is moved-down. it is held down for a brief period by a spring pressed catch or latch V which is moved by its'spring o to engage the arm 1* on the member R but which is automatically released when the table stops turning by being struck by an arm 4: on the levers so as to permit a quick upward movement of the rod ;0 under the action of the spring In addition to its upward movement the finger P moves inwardly against one side-of the group of signatures ready to; he delivered'from the table, which movement is accomplished by putting a torsion on the spring during the upward movement of the rod p, by means of a in :20 on the collar 9' engaging a cam X on the bracket 12', to turn the rod 32 and con sequently the finger P inwardly against the outer side of the book presented to the aliner feed so that the book is releasably held in position between said finger and bar 0. Any

liability of the sheets forming the books from flaring. outwardly in a direction opposite to the turning movement is thus pre vented by the inwardly movingfinger P and the signatures thus positioned are engaged by the bar 123 and finger 128 and carried into the path of the. conveyer 13.

The operation in br'ef of the book-feedin mechanism is as follows: The collected groups of signatures are placed by theoperators at their stations around the table into the empty pockets F of the table which is turning intermittently through the pawl and ratchet drive previously described. On the turning of-thetable the groups of signatures in the pockets are successively presented in line with the feeding mechanism scribed to deliver When the rod ;0 with the open ends for.receiving groups 's1gnatures, means for intermittently turnmemes of the book stitching machine and are resignatures presented'to the machine and after that with the book held between them they are moved forwardly as previously dethe book into the path of the stitcher feeding mechanism, which in this instanceis formed in part by the conveyer l3 and as soon as the group is brought in proper position with respect to the conveyer 13 the finger 128" is released and the group thus fed to the stitching machine 7 travels forward tothe stitchers.

It will also be noted that the use of a cir cular feeding table is advantageous in that it conserves floor space as'the table being in line with the stitching machine and not projecting very far out on each sideseveral machines may be arranged side by side on the floor of abuilding and quite close to each other. s

I am aware that'the details of this con struction shown and described herein 'are capable of modification and change and I therefore wish it' understood that such changes in structure as come within the scope .of the appended claims I deem to be within the spirit of'my invention.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a signature handling device, the combination of a table provided with a plurality of radially disposed pockets having of unbound ing the table, and gripping means for-sud" cessively removing collected groups of signatures from the open ends of the pockets.

2. The combination, with the feeding mechanism of a book-stitching machine, of 5 a receiving table provided with'a plurality of pockets for receiving groups of unbound signatures, means for intermittently turning the table, means for gaging the sides of thesuccessive groups of signatures when they are brought in line with the feeding mechanism, and gripping means for successively removing the groups from the table, while g-aged, and carrying them to the feeding mechanism.

3. In a signaturehandling device, the combination of a table provided with a plurality .-of radially disposed pockets having open outer ends for receiving groups of signatures, a plurality of radially disposed feeding aprons disposed adjacent the table in line with the open ends of said pockets, means for intermittently turning the table, and means for successively removing colthe open ends of said pockets.

.lected groups of signatures outwardly from,

means combination of a revoluble table provided with a plurality of radially disposed pockets for receiving groups of sign. tures, means for intermittently turning the table, means for gaging successive groups of signatures comprising a fixed member and a movable member, and means for successively removing the groups from the table While gaged.

5. In a signature handling machine, the combination of a revoluble table provided With a plurality of radially disposed pockets for receiving groups of signatures, means for intermittently turning said table, meansfor gaging successive groups of signaturescomprising a fixed member, a movable member, and. means for vertically reciprocating and horizontallyoscillating said movable member, and means for successively removing the groups from the table While gaged.

6. In a signature handling machine, the combination of a revoluble table provided With a plurality of radially disposed pockets for receiving groups of signatures, means for intermittently turning the table, means for gaging successive groups of signatures, and means. for removing the signatures from the table comprising a longitudinally movable slide, a fixed bar anda releasable finger carried by said slide for engaging the sides of a group of signatures.

7. In a signature handling mechanism, the combination of a revoluble flat table provided With a plurality of radially-disposed pockets having open outer ends and back stops for receiving groups of signatures, means for moving the table, means distinct from said pockets for successively gaging the sides of the groups of signatures, and means for successively removing the gaged groups from the table.

8. In a signature handling mechanism, the combination of a revoluble table provided with a plurality of radially-disposed pockets for receiving groups of unbound signatures and from which the forward ends of the groups project, means for turning the table, and means engaging the forward projecting ends of the groups of signatures to gage them prior to their removal from said table.

9. In a signature handling mechanism, the combination of a circular receiving table provided with radially disposed upright guides forming a plurality of signature receiving pockets having open outer ends and back stops at the inner ends of the pockets, feeding tables arranged about the periphery of the table adjacent said pockets, means for turning the table, and means for successively removing the groups of signatures from said pockets.

10. In a signature handling machine, the combination of a revoluble table provided with a plurality of radially disposed pockets for receiving groups of signatures, means for intermittently turning the table, and means for removing the signatures from the table comprising a longitudinally movable slide, a fixed bar and a releasable finger carried by said slide for engaging the sidesof a group of signatures.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature.

MARTIN CHRISTENSEN. 

